A suicide bomber in Kabul has killed more than 50 people and injured dozens more after targeting a crowd of Islamic scholars marking the birthday of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). There are fears the death toll could rise, as hundreds were packed into the large hall near the Afghan capital’s airport, more often used to host weddings.

“Hundreds of Islamic scholars and their followers had gathered to recite verses from the Holy Quran to observe the Eid Miladun Nabi festival at the private banquet hall,” said Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for Kabul police, as Pakistan’s Tribune reports.

It shows how sectarian extremism has deeply penetrated in the society imported by the home-grown radical elements of the fanatic idealogies disparaging Islamic pluralism from within.